I do like Pops sense humor, remember when he DNP Duncan and used the reason "old" in the sheets?
And when Shaq told him to stop hacking him in the playoffs and Pop made his players to hack Shaq right after tip-off?

But I think what really triggered it was sending those 4 guys home. If he just had them suit up and just sit in the bench the whole game, there probably wouldn't be much of a problem.

I do like Pops sense humor, remember when he DNP Duncan and used the reason "old" in the sheets?

That was classic.

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But I think what really triggered it was sending those 4 guys home. If he just had them suit up and just sit in the bench the whole game, there probably wouldn't be much of a problem.

Exactly. I think that was a big part of it.
Pop is probably my favorite coach in the league (him and Doug Collins) and I respect his decision to do whatever he sees best for his team but I also see why Stern would have issue with it.
I still think it's 95% motivated by economics and 250k is pretty ridiculous.

the weird part is how Stern fell for Pop's troll bait... with stern waving his old floppy penis around in anger he ends up looking like the cranky grandfather slamming his fists down at the dinner table.

It would've been so much easier for Stern to shame the players/coach/organization with a quippy quote along the lines of: "apparently San Antonio doesn't believe it can compete with the Heat".... Stern was a master of that kind of backhanded infectious comment in the past... now he's just the ornery old man who's out of touch.

the weird part is how Stern fell for Pop's troll bait... with stern waving his old floppy penis around in anger he ends up looking like the cranky grandfather slamming his fists down at the dinner table.
It would've been so much easier for Stern to shame the players/coach/organization with a quippy quote along the lines of: "apparently San Antonio doesn't believe it can compete with the Heat".... Stern was a master of that kind of backhanded infectious comment in the past... now he's just the ornery old man who's out of touch.

Can I rate this for post of the year? Or do I have to be around for more than a week to do that.

In other news: Sixers took care of business and the Lakers took advantage of a sloppy Nuggets tonight.

This isnt about Pop giving a FU to Stern. This is about Stern giving a FU every chance possible to the Spurs organization.

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Originally Posted by foodguy

this ... as i said before: if it was simply a matter of pop being worried about his players, he could have done this very quietly. but he chose to make an issue of it. and i'm no fan of stern (i'm a laker fan after all), but when pop chose to make an issue of it, stern probably had to respond.

That article is spot on. Spurs v OKC was last season was some of the finest basketball ever.

Stern's NBA is just a reflection of US culture. No room for anything different, a team with less sparkle but a lot of class. No nuance. What a boring bullshit league if everyone played the same.

In a sense, this is why I prefer football (soccer). You have teams the world over with real character and distinctive styles. You know when you see Arsenal, its about pass and flow. Barcelona, tiki-taki pass you to deal football. AC Milan, an attacking side within a tradition of defensive minded play. Lazio, grind it out football.

i didn't go to to the Spurs game, but i go to a ton of Heat games. and i'm always disappointed when the visiting stars don't play. it's usually because of illness or injury, and it's no one's fault, but i'm a fan of great players no matter what jersey they wear. so yes, i would have been pissed if i had tickets to that game.

with that said, i have the utmost respect for that team for nearly beating the undefeated-at-home defending champs on their own floor. i think the fans ended up getting their money's worth anyway.